Geography Helps Usto Make Sense ofOur World

How Do I Fit Into the World Around Me?

Studying Geography can help us to answer this basic question not only for our children, but for ourselves as well. Knowing where and how we belong is important to our self image and sense of well-being. Yet this important subject is often neglected when we plan out our homeschool year.

Whether you choose to incorporate the study of our world into other subjects - for example:

Literature: studying the setting of a story using maps gives us a deeper understanding of the characters' lives and circumstances...

History: following a war or the rise and fall of empires using maps can help to explain why things happened the way they did...

Or maybe you'll decide to study it as a separate subject altogether...

using workbooks to gain map skills

watching DVDs of countries and cultures

opting to use a hands-on method such as notebooking or playing some of the great games that are available

I highly recommend - when possible - owning a globe (it can be an inflatable one for younger students), a wall map (for use with pushpins), an up-to-date atlas, and at least one game for learning the names of countries or states.

Whether he prefers workbooks or hands-on study, you can easily find resources to make map studies or cultural explorations become real for him. Below are links to more information about some of my favorites:

Geography Matters
Find out about the full line of Geography resources offered by Josh and Cindy Wiggers and family... curriculum, maps, atlases, software...

Hands On Geography
A wonderful resource for integrating this subject into history, language arts, and science, and for finding dozens of hands-on activities to liven up your studies of the world around us.

Mapping the World By Heart
Developed by a high school teacher, this resource proves that when students have a deep enough understanding of what they are asked to learn, they enter in and learn with all their hearts!

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